Fractured
by AnaMarie666
Summary: We all want one person in our lives. We go through so many to get that one person. But my 'so many' hurt me. I was never the same again. But when I withdrew from everything altogether, my One Person was the only one that could help me.
1. Secrets from a Friend

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Naruto related except for the plot. Please don't sue me. I have nothing for you to gain, anyway...

Warning: Rated T for language, suggestive comments, and future chapters.

This is just the intro, people. Sorry it's super short. It's called a 'Hook', for those of you who are not English freaks. But please try to enjoy anyway!

_Behind every beautiful thing, there is some kind of pain._

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Naruto_

I looked up, meeting the eyes of a girl in my class who had been staring at me. I merely smiled, yet her face turned red enough to rival a fire truck and she spiraled into a fit of giggles behind her book. She gently nudged the girl next to her in the ribs, who then began whispering back to Girl #1. They both began to giggle again.

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. I placed my hands behind my head, content, glancing around the room casually. Another girl was looking at me, so I winked at her. She lifted the corner of her mouth in a sly smile, blushing slightly, then did the ultimate girl sign by flipping her hair back with her hand in a flirtatious way. I smirked.

My head throbbed, but I tired to ignore the usual aftereffect of my long nights. The bell rang, as if to punish me for me law breaking the previous night, making the slight throbbing of my alcohol-induced headache increase to a pounding. A small groan escaped my lips as I stood up and pulled my over-weight backpack onto my shoulder.

Once I exited the room, a group of teenage girls stopped and gaped. I smirked, listening to the whispers that circulated the group like wild fire.

"Oh my gawd. It's _him_!"

"Is he looking at _me_?"

"He's such a god!"

"I can't believe he's single!"

"Have you guys seen his abs? W-O-W."

I began to pass them when one brave girl spoke to me from the group.

"Hey, Uzumaki." The other girls stared at her, shocked, then erupted in the famous middle-school-girl giggles. I winked at the brave girl and she about fainted.

I stopped by my locker to deposit a few books from previous classes, then headed for my next class, Government. As I entered the room, a small figure rammed into me. She stumbled back, and I grabbed her arm to keep her from falling. She straightened up and immediately yanked her arm out of my hand as if I'd burned her. I looked down at her and realized I had never seen her before.

"Whoa there. Sorry 'bout that. I'm a better wall then a door," I apologized. Instead of accepting my apology or apologizing herself for ramming into me, she attempted to push past me to leave. I moved into her pathway to stop her. "You're new here, aren't you?" I commented casually.

"As a matter of fact, I am. But what's it matter to you?" she spat. So this girl was feisty, huh?

"Well, we should get to know each other," I hinted, ignoring her question.

A look of disgust covered her face. "Ugh. Are you serious? I'll pass." She pushed me aside, rolling her eyes, leaving me to ponder who this new girl would end up to be. Pink hair, short skirt, knee high boots. I watched as she walked down the hall alone, making a mental note to turn her attitude about me around.

~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~

After I left Government and walked into my math class, I found out Pinky and I had at least one class together. I smirked at her and took my seat behind her. She glanced at me then quickly averted her gaze, rolling her emerald eyes in the process.

A black haired man in a green suit entered the room as the bell rang, shutting the door behind him. He went to the front of the room and smiled at our class, checking for absences. Like always during attendance, I dozed off, absentmindedly doodling little ninja stick figures on my notebook. Gai-sensei spoke at one point, but I didn't care enough for what the stupid looking man was saying to pay any attention, like usual. A paper was handed back to me and I began doodling on it instead of my notebook. I didn't snap to attention until the goofy looking sensei stood before me with a green box. He sat there, looking expectantly at me. When I didn't move, he spoke.

"Just draw a name, my youthful student. Don't worry! I didn't put any snapping turtles inside it!" He stuck his thumb out and winked at me.

Creepy.

Reluctantly, I reached into the box and pulled out the first slip of paper to touch my fingers. Gai-sensei moved on to the next person before I even knew what was suppose to be on the piece of paper.

Inuzuka, Kiba

Still confused, I nodded at Kiba and he stood up with his backpack, then took the seat next to me.

"What are we doing?" I asked, clueless.

"The worksheet, baka," Kiba responded, opening his book. I could hear him mutter a string of insults under his breath about my ability to pay attention. I smirked, not giving a damn what he thought about my intelligence. In fact, I was a lot more academically capable than he thought.

"New girl's a hottie, huh?" I asked in any attempt to start conversation with my friend. And avoid work.

"I guess. Nice ass," he replied, staring at the back of the girl's skirt as she got up to find her own partner. "I've seen better, though." We both knew who he was talking about. And I secretly agreed, but I'd never tell Kiba that, unless I wanted to die.

"Just ask her out again, holy crap, Kiba. If you think she's _that _hot, then don't ya think you should do something about it, like _ask her out_?" I asked, trying to play the role of his innocent friend.

"Who do you think I am? _You?_ I don't date girls 'cuz I think they're hot, dude. She knows that, anyway." I watched as his defenses rose, protecting the girl he wanted so much to love him. I kept up with my role as the third wheel, not wanting to interfere.

"Okay, fine. Whatever. Let's just get this damn assignment done and over with. . . ." I said, dropping the subject of girls. I pulled my math book out, forgetting about girls in our blockade of math questions.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Okay, so how was it? Were there any mistakes I should look out for in the next chapter? Should I write a next chapter? Tell me, pretty please! Yes, click the button. Click it. _Click it. _Anyway, sorry this was short, again. But the next one I promise to be much longer. Much.

~AnaMarie

愛と知恵


	2. What the Past May Cause

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Naruto related except for this plot. Thanks. :D

Summary: We all want one person in our lives. We go through so many to get that one person. But my 'so many' hurt me. I was never the same again. But when I withdrew from everything altogether, my One Person was the only one that could help me.

Warning: Rated T for language, suggestive dialog, and future chapters.

Okay, now this one will be just a tad longer. Just a tad. Hope you enjoy, my faithful readers!

_Life is about trusting our feelings and taking chances, losing and finding happiness, appreciating the memories and learning from the past._

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Ino_

I drew a slip of paper. As I unfolded it, I became confused.

Haruno, Sakura

Who the hell was Haruno, Sakura? I looked around, wishing I'd been paying attention to the attendance. I watched as everyone but one other person paired off for the assignment. The other person was a girl with a big forehead, surprisingly pink hair, and an extremely short skirt, which I was sure was against dress code. I smirked at the image in my head: the pink haired new kid walking around in the ugliest clothes Kakashi-sensei had picked out for those who broke the dress code.

Pinky sat down in the seat on my left, not even glancing at me. She took out her book methodically and opened it up to the page the worksheet indicated. Without speaking, I followed suit, then began my worksheet.

In mere minutes she had completed both sides of the worksheet then reached into her backpack and pulled out a book. I continued my worksheet in silence, but a few minutes later, a green clad man stood in front of me. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, why are these two young, youthful women not working on the assignment together?" Gai-sensei asked, striking his 'Nice Guy Pose'. I rolled my eyes again. "Have you introduced yourselves yet, my young youthful flowers?" Inwardly, I groaned.

"Yamanaka, Ino," I muttered to my paper, not stopping my work.

"Haruno, Sakura, " the girl replied curtly as Gai-sensei left us alone again. She hadn't looked up from her book.

"I already knew that, genius. I sorta drew your name." She didn't respond this time. Must be one good book she was reading.

A few minutes later I finished my assignment, shoving it into my book to check over later. But another figure stood before me and Big Forehead, bringing with it a strong smell of axe.

"Hey there again," the blond said to Sakura. I rolled my eyes yet again, smirking. Before me stood the ultimate annoyance.

"Didn't I already reject you?" she snapped, still not removing her eyes from her book.

"Maybe. I can't remember. Hey, I never did catch your name," Naruto hinted.

"Just go, before I report you for sexual harassment," she replied, her eyes still glued to her book. But Naruto's resolve stayed strong.

"Someone's a little stuck up," he teased like a four-year-old. I rolled my eyes and smiled at one of my friends.

"Ouch. Rejection hurts, doesn't it?" I joked, on the verge of laughter. "Just go, Naruto. Seems she doesn't want you." It was hilarious to watch him get rejected.

He smirked and winked at me, causing me to roll my eyes. "Whatever you say, Ino." With that he turned and walked away, flicking another girl's hair flirtatiously as he passed her. I scoffed.

"Ino, is it?" Sakura spoke. I turned, ready to say 'You're welcome' as soon as she said 'Thank you'.

"Yeah. Yamanaka, Ino."

"Well, Ino, thanks for that, but next time, keep quiet. I'm not a two year old; I can defend myself. So, thanks, but no thanks for your help." I stared, wide-eyed, at the pinkette in a mix of shock and bewilderment. The bell rang before I could respond, and Sakura stood up with her bag, leaving the class room haughtily.

"That bitch-!"

~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you serious?" Tenten said with a surprised expression.

"_No_, I'm lying to you. Sakura was as pleasant as the warm sun on your face," I replied sarcastically. "_Of course _I'm serious! She was a total bitch."

"But she doesn't even know you. Most people have to _talk_ to you first to hate you," Tenten joked.

"Come on, Ten. I'm not gonna take her crap sitting down. Let's just hope she doesn't mouth off to me again. . . ." I said threateningly. Tenten cocked an eyebrow.

"What are you thinking, Ino?" she asked slowly and cautiously. Her locker slammed shut and she began to walk. I stepped in rhythm with her, heading towards the school exit.

"Nothing lethal, don't freak. I just want to show her she can't control the school. She's just the new kid in town. And they are always at the bottom of the food chain. She may have been top dog at her old school, but now she's in my territory. Oh, and, don't tell Hinata about any of this, 'kay? I love her, but, I mean, I know her reaction. All that crap about 'We all need to get along, Ino-kun. Spiting others get's you no where. That is why people are afraid of you, blah blah blah.'" I explained in an imitation of Hinata's soft voice. Tenten just shook her head, smirking.

As if on cue, Hinata walked out of the school, heading towards us where we were sitting at a picnic table outside. She was flattening her jacket against her stomach, attempting to straighten it and get rid of all wrinkles.

"Oh, my OCD friend," I sighed, smiling at Hinata as she appeared.

"I-I am not OCD, Ino," she objected quietly, sitting next to Tenten. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out her Blackberry, which had begun to ring. "Hello? . . . O-oh, h-hi Naruto-k-kun."

Tenten and I turned to each other, smiling. We both knew Hinata had had a crush on Naruto since 8th grade, though the oblivious blond hadn't figured it out yet, and Hinata wouldn't admit that she _adored_ him. "Oh. No, I-I do not know where Kiba-kun is. I-I am sorry, Naruto-kun. Bye." She slid the phone shut and sighed, closing her eyes. Her hand reached up and grasped the bridge of her nose between her pointer finger and thumb.

"He wanted Kiba? _That _was his excuse this time?" I scoffed, causing Hinata to blush.

"I- I do not know what you mean-" she began.

"Hinata! Will you stop playing the innocent young heroin? You know he likes you. And you're basking in the glory of him. You absolutely love him, anyway. So don't pretend."

"I do not love him, Ino-kun! He is just my friend. And besides, I am in sort of an awkward position right now in any relationship with a guy, so I think I will stay out of how Naruto _feels_ about me," she objected. Her words were completely empty of any negative emotion, but I flinched as the guilt set in and immediately withdrew behind the emotional barrier I had built between me and Hinata.

No one completely understood Hinata. She was rich, pretty, popular, academically and politically active, and anything a girl would want. She had designer clothes, adoring guy fans chasing her, and the body of a model, which explains why she was one. But she was completely the opposite of anything you'd expect. She was gentle, caring, sweet, and an amazing friend. But she never spoke of her feelings. Anything she felt, she suppressed it from her friends. Tenten and I gave up on attempting to get her to spill. Yet she was always there when you needed a shoulder to cry on or an agreeing face and nod when you were explaining how some girl in our school was a total bitch.

I felt an ample amount of pity for the Hinata though. She was in a sort of tug-of-war between Kiba and Naruto, the two boys obviously in love with her, though she would never admit it. Hinata was too modest to brag about being fought over. Truthfully, I was sure it was killing her slowly from the inside, gnawing at her conscience. She never wanted to be the object of arguments.

"So, did Kiba ask you yet?" Tenten asked softly. I raised an eyebrow in question as Hinata's jaw tightened.

"I am not going. He knows that. And if he asks me, it will be his fault that I have to turn him down."

"What-?" I began, but Tenten cut me off.

"What if Naruto asks you?" Her voice was softer than a whisper. My mind began to slowly click at the realization of everything.

"He will not," Hinata responded simply. Tenten shook her head.

"But what if he does? What would you say to him?" she pursued.

"I would say the same thing to him that I would say to Kiba," she said, turning her face to the dark, cloudy sky. It seemed snow was threatening to fall. "No."

"You're really set on this, aren't you Hina?" I asked, watching her reaction carefully for any trace of infuriation. Her hard mask was set, though, and no emotions escaped.

"I do not intend to start anything with any guy any time soon." In no way cold or ill tempered, Hinata stood up and turned toward the school. "I think I will go inside now. It is getting colder, huh?" She smiled at us and began to walk away.

"She's almost robotic now. . . . What could have possibly changed her so much?" I asked Tenten rhetorically. She flinched though, under my gaze as I turned to her.

"I better go inside, too. It's getting colder. . . . See you later, Ino." With that, got up and left, leaving me alone in the bitter cold.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Hinata_

I tapped the nicked wood of the desk with my fingernails, staring at the white sky outside the window. One of the puffy clouds was in the shape of a turtle. I smiled, amused.

"Hinata, are you even paying attention?" came a soft voice, snapping me to attention. I flushed a bright red and blinked.

"S-sorry. What were you saying?" I asked the indigo-haired girl. She smiled and continued.

"Kurenai-sensei was wondering if she could get the schedule for the week after next. Would you happen to have it, dearest sister of mine?" Hinabi teased. I smiled and opened the binder in front of me. In it I found a piece of paper which I handed to Hinabi with another smile.

"Now, it would be greatly appreciated if you would leave, Hinabi-san," Neji said impatiently. Hinabi rolled her eyes, but left anyway.

"Wow, Neji, I'm surprised she hasn't already tried to kick your ass with the way you treat her," Tenten commented next to me, scowling at said teenage boy. "You'd be a pile of pulp if you talked to me like you talk to your cousins." I sighed.

"Why does it concern you how I treat my family, Tenten?" Neji asked curtly, staring impassively at her. She smirked.

"Well, I think it might have something to do with the fact that your cousin is my best friend. But that's just me, you know. It might have something completely different to do with it."

'_Not again. . . .'_ I whined mentally.

"My feelings for my family are not concerned with you, Tenten, so do not try to concern yourself. Understand?"

I could sense the anger pulsate from Tenten's body, and I could feel her go ridged with out even looking at her.

"Excuse me?" she whispered in a deadly voice. Neji scoffed.

"You think a death glare frightens me, Tenten?" I jumped when Tenten stood up in a swift movement and straightened her back to match Neji's height. Neji raised an eyebrow in question.

"Hyuga, I suggest you keep your mouth shut, unless you want to try to live the rest of your life without any legs."

I shivered and closed my eyes. Another storm of insults would be coming.

Neji chuckled darkly. "It is cute how you think you scare me, Tenten. Honestly, your threats are as empty as that head of yours."

The silence ensuing the insult killed me. I wished they would stop fighting and admit they were crazy for each other. . . .

"I think it's cute how you try to hide the fact that you absolutely love me. How you adore every little thing I do or say. But Neji, you don't hide it well," Tenten whispered sweetly with a small smile. Neji opened his mouth to retort, but Shikamaru interrupted.

"I think we should get on with this troublesome meeting," Shikamaru replied lazily. I nodded silently. Tenten smiled triumphantly and winked at Neji, causing him to glare daggers back at her. Everyone in the room knew that Tenten's words were spot on.

The door opened and in waltzed a man with gray, spiky hair and a black bandana covering his left eye and the bottom half of his face.

"Sorry I'm late," he said unconvincingly. The room heaved a collective sigh.

"What a shocker," Tenten muttered. The gray haired man sat down in the desk at the front of the room. Immediately, a book was open in front of his face, shielding him from the glares of the 3 other teenagers in the empty classroom. Tenten cleared her throat to get the attention of the perverted sensei. The man looked up from his book to see the frustrated faces.

"What?" he asked. Tenten rolled her eyes.

"A-are not you going to t-tell us w-why you called this meeting, Kakashi-sensei?" I asked quietly. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't. I got a message saying the student council was waiting for me, so I came. I never called for any of you," Kakashi responded. Everyone groaned.

"So we left our classes for nothing?" Tenten growled through her teeth.

"Well, I left halfway through my book, and now I have to find my place again," Kakashi said, as if this was worse than having to make up the work on our own time that we all missed during the classes we were in previous to being called out.

"Has anyone spoken to the new girl yet?" Shikamaru asked offhandedly. Everyone turned to him curiously.

"What new girl?" Neji asked. Shikamaru sighed.

"How troublesome. . . . There's a new girl here now. She is in our grade, and her name is Haruno, Sakura. I heard Shizune telling Jiraiya about her this morning. I haven't seen her yet, though."

"Oh, Hinata, this would be a great time to put your presidency into action! You should go show her around school and stuff!" Tenten squealed. I flushed a deep red, knowing her suggestion would be impossible.

"Who would be stupid enough to suggest that?" Neji scoffed. I flushed even deeper as Tenten slowly turned to face my cousin, who did not flinch under her immensely powerful glare.

"I don't see why my suggestion is stupid, Hyuga," she replied calmly. Neji rolled his eyes.

"Seriously Tenten? Hinata cannot form a decent conversation with anyone, let alone spend a day with a complete stranger. If _Hinata _is the one to show her around, Haruno will think our school consists of mentally unstable freaks." The insult did not hurt me as much as it seemed to hurt Tenten. She took it as if he had slapped her across the face.

"Excuse me, Hyuga? Hinata is a smart, beautiful, caring person. I can see it doesn't run in the family, though. The new girl'd be lucky to have someone like Hinata show her around." Tenten's face remained frustrated, while Neji's remained impassive.

"Why cannot you show her around, then?" he asked monotonously. Tenten's eyes widened as she took his question as his form of a compliment. The room stayed silent as what it seemed he was implying dawned on Neji, and he backtracked. "I mean, I honestly do not see why it has to be Hinata. She already has enough on her plate as class president."

Tenten opened her mouth to speak, but the bell rang, cutting off all thoughts. I hurriedly grabbed my bag and left the room behind, along with the awkward silence between me cousin and my best friend.

In the crowded hallway I made my way to my locker, being pushed and shoved along the way. When I reached my destination, Tenten had already managed to get to her own locker beside mine.

"Well, that couldn't've gotten awkwarder," she said casually. A smirk lit up her face. "It's not as awkward as being in love with your boyfriend's best friend, though."

I sighed and let that one pass. Just because I had had a crush on Naruto once before, they never let things go. . . .

~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~

I breathed in the fresh scent of Autum, enjoying the sight of the leaves floating to the ground, the sunlight seeping through the clouds. The silence made me relax, and I wished it could be this peaceful all the time at school. But I was lucky I had stayed after school to help get signs decorated and make peppy things for the next day's pep rally, so I could see the real beauty of my school.

"Hinata!" a familiar voice called me from the parking lot. I was startled, thinking I had been pretty much alone besides the other student council members, not expecting him to still be here.

"H-hello, Naruto-kun," I greeted my friend warmly as he reached me. He flashed me that grin that always reminded me of a fox, and I smiled back. "H-how are you?"

Naruto laughed. "We're friends. I'm not your grandma; you don't have to start our conversation with 'How are you?'!" he teased. I smiled weakly and tried to think of what I _should _start our conversation with.

"Uh, wh-why are you h-here, Naruto-kun?" I asked innocently. He laughed softly at my different attempt to start a conversation.

"I was at football practice."

"Oh. . . ."

"Hey, uh, Hinata, I was wondering-" Naruto began, but only to be cut off by the familiar ring tone of my cell phone.

"I-I am sorry. I think it is my father; I should probably answer it." Naruto nodded in agreement and I dug through my purse to find my phone. Once I did, I pressed the 'talk' button and held it to my ear, turning away from Naruto. "Hello?"

"Hinata? Oh, hey! I'm glad you answered! I was wondering if you wanted to go get dinner tonight- that is, if you haven't already had dinner," a familiar voice asked, his words barely understandable because they were all mashed together, as if he was nervous and speaking quickly. I sighed, unnecessarily aggravated with the person on the other end of the phone.

"Um, Kiba, I do not think that is a good idea. I have had a long day, and I should probably get home since I am not sure if Father comes home tonight or not. . . . I am sorry," I apologized, my jaw set tight as my fury flared. I tried to calm myself and forget about the past.

"Oh. Well, maybe some other time. Sorry to bother you, Hinata. See you tomorrow. . . ." Kiba said, his voice trailing off. The dial tone cut off all noises from the other end, and I pressed the end button, inhaling to relax myself.

I turned back to Naruto, unsure of what to do. "Sorry about that, Naruto-kun. It was Kiba, and . . ." I trailed off.

"It's okay. I was just wondering if you were going-" Naruto began, his left hand shooting up to the back of his head as he began to ruffle his hair. My phone cut him off again though before he could finish.

I bit my bottom lip, hoping he could see my apology in my eyes. "Hold on one second, please. . . ." I pressed the 'talk' button again, brining my phone to my ear. "Hello?" I asked the piece of technology.

"Hinata? Where are you? You were suppose to be home an hour ago," my father's voice began, and I could feel the rant coming. I quickly apologized and assured him I would be home as soon as possible, then hung up before he could continue. Taking a deep breath, I smiled at Naruto again.

"I am truly sorry, Naruto. I have to get home though. Maybe you can ask me later. See you tomorrow?" I asked, hoping he was not angry with me. He lifted a hand lazily in a wave and nodded, turning away. "I am really sorry, Naruto," I whispered to his back, "But the answer is already no. . . . I cannot like you. I am truly sorry."

~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~

As expected, when I arrived home, a welcoming party of possible punishments for my tardiness awaited me.

"You should have called me and told me you were going to be late. I have half a mind to ground you from even being on the student council, Hinata. And I can take away your phone, if you are not going to use it to let me know you are going to be late. Would you like it if I took your laptop away? Or gave you an earlier curfew? Hinabi is always home on time. And if she isn't she tells me she will be late. Why do not you do as your younger sister, Hinata?" Father asked, gesturing toward Hinabi, who was sitting at the dining room table doing homework, with his hand. Hinabi lowered her head, unwilling to take part in my punishment. I felt sorry for her; she was always dragged into my imperfection. It wasn't her fault she was perfect, and I had no reason to resent her for it. "If you do this again, Hinata, you will be punished."

"Yes, Father. I am sorry."

"Start dinner, now, Hinata," Father commanded. I nodded.

"Yes Father."

I trudged over to the cabinet, searching for something to make. My eyes spotted a box of Instant Ramen, and a small frown formed on my face as my mind wandered to Naruto.

After deciding on rice with vegetables and pork on top, I set to cooking the soon-to-be meal. Hinabi and I conversed some while I was coking, and I helped her with her homework. Dad came in and out of the kitchen for a while, then decided to reside in his office, his safety.

"Hey, Hinata. . . ?" Hinabi hesitated.

"Yes?" I asked, gesturing for her to continue.

"Do . . . do you remember much of Mom?"

I froze on the spot, my back to Hinabi. We had never discussed Mom before in our house; Father made sure of that. But he was not here now to hear this. Maybe Hinabi deserved to listen.

I turned toward Hinabi, trying to arrange my face to show I understood. "I remember some of her. Like her laugh. And her smile. And her warmth. And how she hated thunder storms. She was never a good cook, either. Father would always let me throw my food away when Mom wasn't looking. But, I was only five. There is not much I remember about her. Why do you ask?" I asked softly, sitting beside Hinabi.

"I was just curious. I mean, it has been 13 years and no one has said anything about her to me. Father never wants us to discuss her. Do not you think he would be the one to want to discuss her, though? He was married to her. He loved her. Maybe they had secrets. . . ." Hinabi muttered, her imagination carrying her away.

"There were no secrets, Hinabi-chan. I think it rude to speak of the dead, though. We have discussed this before, and you know I forbid you to talk about your mother in this household," Father commanded in a low voice, his jaw clenched tight, as he opened the sliding door leading into the kitchen from the hallway.

"F-Father, I-I was just curious about her. I-" Hinabi stuttered out, trying to remain calm.

"She only wanted to hear about her own mother, Father. There is nothing wrong with that. It is not rude to speak of the loved and remember them. It is rude to forget them," I objected, keeping my hard mask, having perfected it over the past few months. Father's cold gaze shifted to me.

"Do you disrespect me, Hinata?" he asked.

"No. I think it disrespectful, though, to try to forget about Mom. If you loved her, you would want us to remember her. I do not know why you wish to forget her, but Hinabi and I just want to think about her. That is all." Father stared at me, a vein in his forehead throbbing, for what seemed like an eternity, silent. Then, with one last glance at Hinabi, he turned and walked out of the kitchen, slamming the sliding door behind him.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Kiba_

It was taunting me. Sitting there, catching my attention every time I looked around. It was saying 'You got turned down. You're such a loser,' and I wished it would just disappear. I grabbed a pillow from behind me and tossed it at my desk where the evil little phone sat, knocking several things to the ground, but somehow missed the phone.

"She didn't turn me down. She said not today. She didn't turn me down," I argued with the cell phone, glaring at it.

'_She always turns you down, dipwad,' _a voice in my head pointed out. _'She doesn't like you. Give it up, boy.'_

Maybe I was going crazy. But I argued with that stupid voice of logic in my head. "I don't know that she doesn't like me, though. She could just not want to date right now. She's been different lately, anyway. Colder, more secretive. It's nothing to do with me."

'_How do you know it has nothing to do with you?'_

I thought about that. What could have changed the warm, loving Hinata I dated last year into this robotic, hidden girl? I didn't do anything . . . did I?

A knock on my door shattered my thoughts and I struggled to collect them again to store for later contemplation as my older sister stepped into my room.

"Hey, Hana," I greeted. My gaze shifted to that taunting piece of technology again, and I growled instinctively. Hana raised an eyebrow in question.

"What?" she asked. I shook my head.

"Nothing. It's nothing. Never mind," I said, looking at her instead. She noticed where I'd been looking before her though, and grabbed the cell phone.

"What? Is it broken or something?" she asked, turning it over in her hands. I shook my head again.

"No. It's nothing. Forget it."

She looked up at me, questions filling her eyes. "Did you get a bad text?" she asked, sticking her noise in my business. I rolled my eyes.

"No- what are you doing? Leave it alone!" I demanded as she began to press buttons on my cell phone. I jumped off my bed and made a grab for it, but she held one arm in front of me to prevent me from grabbing my phone. Her eyes widened, then a sly grin made its way onto her face.

"You made a bad call. So, what did Hinata say that angered you so much?" she asked teasingly. I growled, at her this time, attempting, again, to grab my phone. "Oh yeah, you're such a rebel. A rebel who cries when he gets turned down. What, did she start dating your best friend or something?"

"She didn't turn me down. She just . . ." I said, unsure how to phrase it.

"Said no. That's generally what 'getting turned down' means, idiot."

"I wasn't turned down. She had to get home to her dad."

"Did she sound aggravated at all?" Hana asked.

"No."

"Does she say no all the time?" she continued.

"No."

"And does she seem to like someone else?"

"No!"

"She doesn't want you then," she concluded.

"I said no!" I objected.

"Kiba, you would say no even if I asked if you were a dude! You wouldn't admit anything about girls to me, anyway. But I can tell by the way you say it that she does all those things. I'm sorry, Kiba, but she just doesn't want to go out with you."

"Butt out, Hana. Did I ask for your opinion?" I snarled, finally seizing my phone and taking it out of her hand.

"Whatever. But when you ask her to prom or Winter Formal or whatever it is that you'll ask her to, and she says no, don't come crying to me. God, you pretend you're so tough, but a single girl get's you all worked up," she murmured and turned away, walking from the room.

"Stupid, lazy, mooching sister. . . ."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Tenten_

"Dammit, everything is so backwards!" I exclaimed to a stoic Hinata. She tilted her head in curiosity, gesturing for me to continue. "Neji! He's such an ass! I know he likes me, and you know it too, and so does he, so now he has to make it look like he hates me by ignoring everything I do. If I say hi, he just looks at me like I'm mentally retarded or something. If I hand him something, he doesn't even say thank you! If I say he looks nice today, he just nods with that stupid tight-jaw-cold-eyes thing he always has going on now. Ah! What is so wrong with him?!" I ranted.

"Maybe he is afraid you do not like him and is keeping it to himself," Hinata suggested calmly.

"But if he doesn't take a chance on me, he'll never know!" I said, trying to think reasonably.

"Do you want him to take a chance on you?" Hinata inquired. I blinked rapidly, trying to search my mind for my answer.

"I don't know. But I'd rather he take a chance on my than pretend I'm a freaking wild animal!"

"You want him to . . . ask you out . . . but you do not like him? So you would rather go out with him and have a loveless relationship than not ever talk to him again?" she concluded. I inhaled, ready to retort, but bit my tongue to stop myself. She was wrong, and she was trying to get me to see that.

"I do like him. . . . Oh, Hinata. What am I suppose to do? He doesn't even want to accept I'm here any more, which is making me fall for him. Am I a masochist?" I whimpered, laying back on her bed. She remained silent for a minute, churning this over in her head.

"I could talk to him about you if you would li-" she began to offer, but I interrupted.

"No way! I don't want him to know that his attitude is getting to me. No way."

"Now you are being a masochist. You do not like how he is treating you, yet you will not let me help solve it. Maybe he does not know he is hurting you," Hinata said reflectively. My face contorted in disgust.

"_Doesn't know_? He's doing it on purpose! I can tell!" I objected. Hinata smiled.

"Neji is . . . different. He does not know how to express his feelings. Maybe he just really likes you but does not know how to tell you. Maybe you need to let him know first."

"Hina- *hiccup* -ta! Get down *hiccup* here!" a male voice I was sure was her father's echoed up the stairs. I turned to Hinata in question. She stood up and walked to the door swiftly, telling me to stay here while she checked what was wrong.

Minutes later, Hinata came back upstairs, her face unreadable.

"What was that about?" I asked as she sat beside me on the bed. She shook her head in response.

"Nothing. But I think you need to tell Neji you like him. You know how withdrawn he is. He does not express any emotions very well."

I nodded. "You know, you know guys really well, Hinata," I observed. Her small smile fell, replaced by a strained one.

"No. I do not."

I scooted toward her, placing my hand on her knee. "Do you want to talk about him and tell me what happened yet?" I whispered. She closed her eyes and lowered her head.

"Not yet. . . ."

~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~

_Nothing was interesting on the tube, so I continuously switched channels. Soap Opera, Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon, 11 o'clock News, Music Videos, more Soap Operas. I groaned, pressing the power button on the remote._

"_Mom?" I called, hoping to talk to someone, anyone, right then. Silence greeted my call, and I guessed she was asleep. I walked into the kitchen, heading straight for the fridge. Another groan escaped my lips as I found nothing appetizing in the refrigerator. I made a mental note to go grocery shopping the next day._

"_Nothing. Nothing. Nothing," I muttered, checking the cabinets for food, too, but also coming up empty. Once again, I instinctively walked over to the fridge, growling when I realized I already knew it was empty. "Why can't I sleep?" I asked myself. "There's never anything to do at 11 o'clock at night. . . ."_

_I took a seat on the couch in the living room again, turning the TV on but lowering the volume so it was just a low buzz of a Soap Opera_ _that would make me feel less lonely. I took out my cell phone and hesitated, wanting to call Hinata and ask her how her night was going so far at her first party. I wasn't even quite sure where the party was suppose to be, but I knew Kiba had taken her because it had been some of his friends from a different school. _

_I decided against interrupting her night and laid my head back against the couch, closing my eyes._ _Never in a million years would I have imagined _I _would be home alone while _Hinata _was out partying. Of course, she wasn't really up to partying, but she didn't want to upset Kiba. She was fond of him, but I had a feeling she didn't really like him like he liked her. She would never say that, though. She would never tell anyone what she felt._

_That was when I heard the knock._

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Yay! Happy person! I finished it. Hope you liked that one, too. Actually, I just hope you didn't hate it. Please review, if you would be so kind. It's the little green box that we all know so well. Thanks!

~AnaMarie

愛と知恵


	3. You're Closer Than You Think

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Naruto related except for the plot. Thanks guys.

Summary: We all want one person in our lives. We go through so many to get that one person. But my 'so many' hurt me. I was never the same again. But when I withdrew from everything altogether, my One Person was the only one that could help me.

Warning: Rated T for language, suggestive dialog, and future chapters.

3rd chapter. Wow. I don't care if you guys like it or not, I'm writing because I love to. And you can read it or not. Either way, if you ARE reading this, thank you so very much. You guys are the awesomest. Thanks!

And oceanmoon, thanks for the help!

_Erasing yourself from somebody's life is not as simple as walking out their door._

_~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~  
_

* * *

_Ino_

I inhaled the smoke, breathing out through my nose. I watched as the gray cloud floated up toward the heavens, outlined by the blackness that surrounded me. The silence pressed on me, inflaming my guilt in the loneliness.

The sound of a car door shutting drove panic into my brain, and I hastily put out the light at the end of the tobacco stick I was holding. I stood up swiftly, brushing the dirt off my skirt and flatting my shirt in order to give the impression of a well behaved young woman. Footsteps neared the corner of the shop, and then a tall man with a long blond ponytail and puffy bangs appeared before me with a huge smile.

"Hi Dad. How was the delivery?" I asked innocently, inconspicuously placing my foot over the cigarette on the ground.

Dad paused a few feet in front of me, his smile faltering. "Do you smell smoke?" he asked, looking around.

"No. Why? Do you?" I asked, turning the question on him. He shook his head, then glanced at me again, a suspicious look on his face.

"Why are you outside?" he asked, ignoring my question.

I looked up to the sky where a bright yellow orb floated in the middle of black nothingness. "The sky . . . it drew me out here. Why are you out here? Why didn't you go to the side door? I mean, you passed it, didn't you?" I asked, tossing the interrogation back on him.

"I forgot my key. I was coming to get the spare one back here." He kept his eyes on me as he passed toward the back door and reached above the door frame, his fingers locking on the key residing there.

"You should put your house key on your car key ring. Then you won't lose it!" I reprimanded him teasingly.

"I didn't lose it, I forgot it. There's a difference," he clarified. I rolled my eyes.

"If you say so. . . ." I muttered, following him into the house as he unlocked the door. Once inside, I followed him into the kitchen where I had baked potatoes in the oven along with a steak for Dad's dinner, and tofu and salad in the fridge waiting for me for my dinner.

"So, how was the delivery?" I asked again, trying to rekindle the conversation. Dad shook his head.

"Chaotic. Apparently I brought an extra flower in the bouquet, giving them thirteen instead of twelve. So the bride freaked out and wanted to cancel the wedding because she thought it was 'a sign' and it meant her whole marriage would be screwed or something. So then I tried to take one back and she said I had already ruined her marriage, so it was no use trying. It took three bridesmaids, the maid of honor, her mom, step-father, the best man, the groom's mom, and finally the groom to convince her to continue with the wedding. I felt bad for the poor man marrying that crazy witch," he explained. I laughed, opening the oven to check on his food.

"Aw, the stress of dealing with a flower shop," I said. He chuckled.

"Some day you'll have to do it all by yourself. That is, if you don't get married to some famous person and move so far away I'd have to hire a detective to find you," he kidded. I bit my bottom lip, not wanting to disappoint him just right then after he'd had such a stressful day. The truth was, though, that I just didn't want to run the flower shop my whole life.

I decided to change the subject. "Uh, Dad? Shikaku called earlier. He said he wanted to know if you were free tomorrow night because he and Choza are going out for dinner and drinks," I relayed the message to him.

"Really? Man, it's been forever since we went to school together. And now our own kids are gonna graduate together. I must be old. . . ." Dad muttered. I laughed, thinking how odd it was that Choza, Shikaku, and Inoichi had gone to school together as best friends, and now their kids are best friends, too.

"So, do you want to call him back now or after dinner? 'Cause the number's by the phone," I told him while taking the potatoes and steak out of the oven.

"I'll call him back later. I'm starving now!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

"Food, food, food! That's all you ever think about!" I teased.

~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~

"_You're a strong girl, Yamanaka. Hang in there."_

_I looked up into the face of my teacher, my jaw clenched tight, vehemently fighting back the sobs threatening to emanate from my chest. The sympathy was killing me. Just nod and move on, please._

"_Th-th-thank you, Asuma-sensei," I stuttered_ _out, finding it extremely hard to not burst out in tears._

"_If you need to talk, I'm here, Ino," Kurenai-sensei told me while placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezing it, following behind Asuma. I nodded in response, afraid to speak again._

"_I am so sorry, Ino. I am here for you if you ever just need a hug," Hinata whispered to me, tears streaming down her face. She wrapped her arms around me. "I love you like family, Ino. I am here for you." She let go of me, grabbing her sister's hand, and walked away, her head down._

_The last person to leave was my best friend. He looked up at me, worry in his brown eyes, then nodded, what I wished everyone had done after paying their respects. He understood I didn't want the sympathy, the pity. All I wanted was quiet._

"_See ya later, Ino."_

_I nodded. "Bye, Shikamaru."_

_Then it was silent and empty._ _In this house where I stood, full of memories I just wanted to forget. To move on and remember new things, to replace everything she left behind._ _To know no pain, to just float in the numbness that I longed to succumb to. I wanted nothingness, like the black sky on a cloudy, new moon night. I wanted that long stretch of forever that would lie before and behind me, never ending, meeting nothing but the familiar.  
_

_My lust was shattered by two hands on my shoulders. I shook my head a little, following the long arms up to a familiar face. _

_Nothing but the familiar. I found so much comfort in this._

_In his eyes was_ _a pain so eminent and immeasurable, my yearning seemed childish and frivolous. I wanted more than the world to eradicate his pain, to show him that I will be strong while he can cave in, show me his weakness while I keep it safe._

"_Daddy . . ."_

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Shikamaru_

"They are so troublesome. . . ."

I turned my head slightly to face my father. "You chose to marry one of those troublesome women, though," I pointed out.

"I wouldn't be alive if I hadn't chosen to marry her, so no matter how troublesome they turn out to be, there's always an upside to them," he tried to explain, climbing up over the side of the roof.

"If you say so. . . ." I muttered, turning my face back to the sky. The clouds were slowly shape-shifting, from blocking the view of the stars to barely visible gray spots dotting the black sky. The clouds were being indecisive lately, though, unsure whether they always wanted to cry or be happy. They were so similar to someone I knew. . . .

Shikaku moved closer, head held to the heavens, and took a seat on the roof beside me. "I'm gonna need you to do the chores for me tomorrow, 'kay? I'm going to dinner with Choza and Inoichi."

"Whatever. . . ." I replied, closing my eyes and relaxing. But he was insistent on conversing with me.

"It's been forever since we've gotten together without our troublesome wives. It's almost like a class reunion. It's amazing how our kids are friends now. Isn't it?"

"Hmm," I sounded, trying to satisfy him.

"It's been really hard on Inoichi, though, these past few years. He's lucky to have such a strong daughter, though. And you're lucky to have her as a friend," he concluded. I nodded again.

"Ummm hmmm."

"So, uh, what do you think of her?" he asked awkwardly. My eyes flew open, darting to his still form sitting beside me.

"What?" I asked, startled.

"What do you think of Ino? It's a simple question, Shikamaru. I'm not asking you to give up your life for her," he asked, aggravated. I sat up.

"I thought you said women were troublesome?"

"I did. I was just wondering . . . Shikamaru, don't make this more complicated than it needs to be. Inoichi is just worried . . . he doesn't want her to get hurt, and if, you know, you have feelings for her . . ."

"Whoa. Who ever said I 'have feelings for her'?" I demanded.

"Shika, I just want you to watch out for her and make sure you don't hurt her. No matter what I've said about troublesome women, you always look out for your friends." I couldn't believe what I was hearing from the man who always said to stay away from girls and that maybe being gay wasn't such a bad idea.

"I don't like Ino like that, Dad. She's just a friend. I wouldn't hurt her, anyway, even if I did like her . . . like that. Don't worry," I tried to console my dad. And get rid of this uncomfortable conversation. "So what's up? Why are you acting so weird? And where's Mom? She never lets you come up here," I added.

Dad raised his hand, rubbing the back of his head uncomfortably. "She's in bed already. It's the 10th anniversary, Shikamaru. She's not doing too well."

I sighed. "It's been 10 years already. . . . I still remember that day so clearly. It was troublesome for everyone. Especially Mom, though. . . ."

"Yeah. So we need to let her be for the night. Be quiet when you get inside," he told me, standing up carefully and walking to the edge of the roof. I nodded, laying my head back against the roof again.

~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~

_The screaming penetrated my carefully built façade, breaking through my concentration. I wanted to grab her hand, to tell her it was all okay. To show her I was so ecstatic about this. But they wouldn't let me. Dad wouldn't let me. The doctor wouldn't let me. They all wouldn't let me. Nobody would let me see my mom. No matter how much I begged. They wouldn't let me. So I had taken to blocking out all the noise against the wall of the hall outside her room._ _I was curled up on the floor, my legs pulled up to my chest, my hands attempting to block out the agonizing noises emanating from the room. But it wasn't working out too well, the hand thing. The screams sent shivers down my body, my hands shaking uncontrollably, my mind racing over every possible outcome of the night._

_Then . . . it stopped. All of it. The screaming, the encouraging words of the doctor, my father's calming hushing noises. It all stopped._

~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you coming inside, Shika?" my father's voice said, waking my from my blissful sleep. I rubbed my eyes, my mouth opening wide in a large yawn.

"Yeah. I'll be in in a minute."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Naruto_

"_Naruto, pay attention, now. As I was saying, she's new, so I want you to make her feel welcome-"_

"_Where is she?" I asked, my hand shooting up seconds after I asked my question._

"_Let me finish, Naruto. She is down the hall at the office, and I want everyone_ _to show her around and let her know she's welcome here-" Iruka-sensei started again._

"_When will she be here?" I asked, interrupting him again._

"_She will be here sometime soon, Naruto. I want you to stop interrupting me and let me finish, understand?" He paused, waiting for my answer. When it didn't come, he began again. "Good-"_

"_Okay, I'll stop."_

_Iruka's glare hardened, turning icy cold, and I smiled ruefully, feeling a sense of triumph. "As I was saying," he began again, every syllable crisp and clean, "she's from Tokyo, and I want everyone to just say hi, at least. Ino, Tenten, I put her in between you two at your table, so I want you to be nice, okay? She'll be here in a few minutes- oh, here she is. Hello!_" _Iruka greeted the two people_ _who entered the room. One was a tall, pale man with long, brown hair and light lavender eyes, their pupils so light they were almost invisible in the lavender. He caught my attention for a fraction of a second. Then I noticed the other person._

_She was a young girl, my age, maybe 7 or 8 years old. Her hair was a dark shade of Indigo, its reflection in the light showing lighter bluish highlights all over. Her skin was the same pale color as the older man's, her eyes the same light lavender, almost pupil-less. She had soft, pink enviable lips and a timid smile, making my thoughts scatter all over my mind. Her build was small, petite, but very feminine for such a young girl. Compared to any of the other girls, she seemed to show the most qualities of a female. My face became hot as I noticed how much more of a chest she had than the other girls. And such a feminine body . . ._

"_Everyone, this is Hyuga, Hinata. She's new in our class, and I want everyone to be kind and make her feel welcome," Iruka announced._ _He then turned to the other man standing with Hinata and began talking, explaining our school to him. Hinata stood beside the man almost dutifully, holding his hand and watching her shoes. I decided now would be a good time to introduce myself._

"_Hey, Hinata!" I shouted. The small, pale girl looked up, and her face was redder than a tomato. I wondered momentarily if she was sick. "Welcome to our school! My name is Uzumaki, Naruto-"_

"_The most annoying kid in the class. And the most obnoxious. And knuckle-headed. I'm Yamanaka, Ino. You get to sit by me," Ino said, gesturing to the seat beside her, in between her and Tenten. Hinata nodded, then looked back to her shoes. "Come here, I won't bite!" Ino teased. Hinata didn't make a move to separate from the older man, but kicked her foot softly against the ground in a nervous way._

"_Be careful with her, though. She nibbles," I said to Hinata, sticking my tongue out at Ino._

"_And stay away from Naruto, because he tends to rub his stupidity off onto the people around him," she retorted, also sticking her tongue out._

"_Children, stop arguing and make Hinata feel welcome!" Iruka hissed, glaring at me. The other man let go of Hinata's hand and bent down to her level. He whispered something to her then gently put a hand on her back, moving her toward the rest of the class. She kept her head down as she slowly made her way to Ino and Tenten's table. I watched lividly, not wanting her to befriend Ino, because then she would never talk to me._

_My face heated up again as I realized what I was thinking. She was a girl, so why should I want to talk to her? Besides, I knew girls had cooties._

_~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~_

"So you're into medical stuff?" I asked humorously. She rolled her emerald eyes.

"I happen to enjoy helping people and saving them, thank you," she retorted.

"Then why don't you become a teacher or something? They help people, don't they?" I asked, putting my hands behind my head. She shook her head, rolling those emerald eyes again.

"I can't save them, though, if they're on the brink of dying, idiot. A teacher shows kids where to go and right and wrong in life, almost like a third parent. I don't want to be a third parent. I don't want to parent someone else's kids. I want to be able to save them from pain, not from bad choices. There's a huge difference between the two."

"So that's why you're taking college courses after school? To help with your medical studies?" I asked, playing along with her good mood.

"Well, duh. Didn't we, like, just go over this? Yes, that is why I'm taking college courses. Baka. . . ." she muttered.

"Well, then, you go, girl!" I said, in a mock version of Ino's voice, doing the stupid Girl Head Bobble thing. I didn't get why girls did that anyway. Sakura's hard mask faltered for a second, and she smiled lightly. Then, as expected, she rolled her eyes.

"You are not a usual guy, you know that? Truthfully, there's nothing normal about you," she said, observing me.

"There's nothing normal about you, either. How can you resist this?" I asked, striking a pose with a serious mask. She just shook her head and turned away. "Ha! You can't resist it! You have to look away to resist it! So I guess you are normal," I concluded. She turned back, a look of frustration on her face.

"I can too resist it. I have no physical attraction to you what-so-ever, Naruto. So keep it in your pants, please." She rolled her eyes and faced the front of the classroom again. I was about to respond when the door to the Study Hall room opened and in walked two of my classmates.

The first one I noticed was the male. His eyes were an extremely light lavender, the pupils blending in, and he had long brown hair down to his shoulder blades in a loose hair tie at the end. His outfit was white, accentuating his pale skin, making it seem even lighter, and her wore black sandals and a black apron thing (I wasn't quite sure why he had it on, except that maybe it was to prevent him from staining his white pants). He looked impassive and unaware of anything or anyone else.

The second person caught my attention -again, just like so many years previous- immediately from the brown-haired young man. She had long indigo hair with lighter bluish highlights in the light that went down the small of her back. Her skin was similar to the young man's -a light pale color- and her eyes the same as his, almost pupil-less. Her body was curvaceous and luscious, still as attractive as it had been almost ten years previous. Her posture showed she was uncomfortable being in the spotlight, having entered the classroom halfway through the class. She glanced at me, and that dark flush covered her face as normal when she looked at me, then she seemed to find her shoes fascinating, for they captured her attention fully. She began poking her index fingers together with a dismayed look upon her face.

"Hello, Hinata, Neji. Do you have something for me?" Kurenai-sensei asked, her eyes trained on the two teens. Hinata remained silent, but Neji walked forward. He began to whisper furiously, his mouth moving too fast for me to lip read. Hinata slowly moved toward the other two conversing, remaining silent. She nodded a few times in response, but didn't say anything otherwise. I wanted to know what they were talking about so intently.

Kurenai placed her hands over her face, leaning forward. Something was bothering her about their conversation, but Neji's face was still impassive. Hinata's eyes were now closed, her fists clenched tight at her side. I was mentally debating rushing to the front of the room and asking what was wrong, but then Neji and Hinata turned and left the room. I could swear Hinata glanced at me briefly before exiting the room.

"What was that about?" I muttered.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Tenten_

_I walked to the door, confused who would come over at 11 o'clock at night. When I swung the door open, I gasped. There stood Hinata. She was disheveled and red-eyed. I opened my mouth to say something, but was interrupted as she flung herself at me, her arms wrapping around my neck, and her sobs came out, loud and heart-breaking. _

"_Hinata?" I asked breathlessly. Her answer was louder sobs. Unsure of what to do, I gently wrapped my arms around her back, making hushing noises in any attempt to calm her down and have her explain. It took a few minutes for her sobs to pass to hiccups, and then we sat down on the couch. Her tears continued to run silently as she collected herself enough to speak coherently._

"_What happened, Hinata? What's wrong?" I whispered as she leaned against my shoulder. I stroked her hair as she took deep breaths._

"_Ki-Kiba . . ." she stuttered._

"_Kiba what? What did he do? Is he okay? Did he get hurt? Did he hurt you?" I asked hurriedly. She shook her head gently, sniffing and hiccuping quietly._

"_H-he want-wanted- . . ." she began, but her tears came harder, and she began to cry again._

"_Shh. Shh, it's okay. Calm down. You're fine now. No one is here but me. No one can hurt you. Shh," I tried to soothe her. Her tears came faster, and I was unsure of what to do, still._

"_Kiba tried . . . he wanted-" she began to explain, but was interrupted but a questioning voice._

"_Tenten? Why is Hinata here?" my mom asked, walking into the living room. Hinata sat up, wiping her eyes._

"_She just stopped by-"_

"_I was just leaving, Mrs. Fujiamma. Sorry for waking you," Hinata apologized, standing up. I stood up, too._

"_It's okay, hon. . . . Are . . . are you okay?" Mom asked hesitantly, crossing her arms._

"_I'm fine," Hinata assured her, turning toward the door. I was surprised by how fast she had composed herself when my mom came in._

"_Okay, hon. Do you need a ride home?" Mom offered. Hinata shook her head._

"_I'm fine, really. Goodnight, Mrs. Fujiamma."_

"_Okay. Goodnight, hon," Mom said, turning back to her room and leaving Hinata and me alone._

"_Hinata . . ." I whispered, watching her small frame shake with her sobs again._

"_I h-have to g-go, Tenten. I-I'll see you . . . later . . ." she said through the heart-wrenching sobs._

_Then she was gone._

_~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~_

My eyes wandered to the brunette in the front of the class. I glared at his unknowing back as I remembered that night the previous year. His head turned slightly toward the clock on the wall, and I caught sight of one of his stupid fang tattoos on his right cheek. He saw me watching him and smiled, winking at me. I turned away, afraid of bursting out in curse words if I saw him for much longer.

I hated how he pretended not to know anything about that night. I hated how he wouldn't tell me anything about it. I was about as frustrated with Hinata, though, for she wouldn't tell me what had occurred before she had come to see me, either. Of course, if she wasn't ready, I knew that I shouldn't push her into telling me. But I wanted to know why she was so against telling me. . . .

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Hinata_

"Is he okay?" Kurenai asked in a hushed tone. Neji was the one to respond.

"We are not sure, yet. All we know is that he was in an accident and we need to get to him, now. But I am notifying you because . . ." Neji's eyes flashed to me, then he whispered something to Kurenai, too low for me to hear. He was obviously talking about me. He was worried I would not be able to handle it if Father had not survived, and wanted to notify the councilor in case I broke down. I felt ashamed that they would think so low of me.

Kurenai leaned forward, placing her hands over her face. She was obviously mentally debating what to do. I closed my eyes, my hands forming tight fists at my sides.

"Okay. Now hurry. I will notify Jiryaiya," Kurenai told us. Neji turned swiftly as I opened my eyes, and I followed him to the door. My eyes, however, were drawn back to the boy sitting in the back of the room, his eyes full of curiosity. Then he disappeared behind me as I left the room.

Neji and I walked down the hall silently, the silence tense. I yearned to run out of the school, but Neji -and Father, for that matter- would have disapproved of it. Even if it meant running to see my Father in his deathbed, he would still disapprove. _'We must behave properly, Hinata-chan. We are high class people, so we must act as such. We must not show any weaknesses to others, or emotion. We must speak properly and dress properly. We must keep our heads held high, for we are worthy of being envied.' _Running to see my Father out of worry would fall under the heading of 'Showing Emotions'. So I kept repeating Father's words in my head to calm myself.

"Hinata . . ."Neji whispered, catching my attention. I turned to him, speechless, and froze. For the first time that I could ever remember, his face showed a small trace of worry. But it was only brief, for it disappeared as he shook his head. "We must go get Hanabi. Come," he demanded, moving forward down the hall. I inhaled slowly, composing myself, then followed my cousin yet again.

~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~

"Can you not go any faster, Neji?" Hanabi asked, irritated, as she leaned forward in between the two front seats from the back seat of Neji's car. Her eyes were on the needle pointing to 50, the speed limit of Konoha's streets.

"I am not going to receive a speeding ticket for rushing to the hospital, Hanabi. Now sit back and put on your seat belt," Neji commanded in a low voice. He was remaining calm under pressure, as I began to unwind under it. I could not think about what could have gone wrong with Father's accident, but Neji's mother, Kajini, had not specified what had happened. Perhaps she had not quite known, but she left us with no clue as to his condition. And that was what worried me the most.

A small hand grasped my forearm, and I opened my eyes to Hanabi's worried face. "Hinata . . . do you think he is okay?" she whispered, her voice cracking at the end even with her low volume. I closed my eyes again, unsure what to say. Hanabi understood my silence and sighed. "I never meant to cause this. All I wanted to know was a little bit about Mother. I did not mean to send him into a spiraling depression. . . ." she whispered to herself. "And now he has become an alcoholic because of me-"

"It is not your fault, Hanabi. Please, do not blame yourself. If anything, it is my fault. I was the one who reprimanded him for not speaking of her. Do not place this on your shoulders," I told her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. I watched as her eyes slowly filled with tears. In a quick movement, she wrapped her arms around my neck and began to sob.

"What if he does not make it? What if he was killed? The last thing I told him was to stop being so selfish, Hinata! That was the last thing I told him this morning before I left for school, and now I might not be able to apologize!" she wailed. My eyes darted to Neji, who seemed uncomfortable and edgy. I could tell all he wanted was for Hanabi to put her stupid seat belt on.

"Hold on, Hanabi. Sit back really quick," I commanded, and she obeyed, confused. "Be careful, Neji."

"Hanata- ?" Neji began questioningly. I unbuckled my seat belt, causing Neji to growl. Ignoring him, I swiftly climbed in between the front seats to the back, sitting beside Hanabi. She leaned her head on my shoulder as I attempted to put on the stupid safety belt with trembling hands.

We arrived in one piece at the hospital, and I thrust open the car door. Jumping out of the car with Hanabi close behind me, I sprinted to the front doors of the Emergency wing. When I arrived at the desk, though, I met an obstacle.

"Hyuga, Hinata, is it? I'm sorry, but you aren't allowed in the room, ma'am. They are trying their best, though, to help him. Don't worry, just sit here and wait a few minutes, 'kay?"

I really wanted to ignore her and burst through those doors, but I knew better. Hinabi, though, decided no one would tell her she could not see her father. She growled at the lady and ran to the doors leading into the E.R. hall. They were, of course, locked. She began banging on them as Neji strolled in.

"Hanabi!" he hissed, rushing to her and grabbing her arms. She struggled, but, being only 13 and fighting against an 19-year-old, it was not much of a battle. Furious tears streamed down her face in rivers as Neji forced her to the seats and pushed her into a chair. "We must behave properly, Hanabi-chan!" he scolded. It reminded me of all the times I had disappointed Father and had been scolded in public. I was embarrassed for Hanabi, and I wanted to get Neji to sit down.

"Neji, leave her alone. She is just worried about Father!" I scowled at him as he turned to me slowly. Taking slow strides, he approached me.

"Have you forgotten, Hinata-chan?" he asked quietly, a fake smile on his face to fool anyone around us into thinking we were just having a pleasant discussion. "_We must behave properly. We are high class people, so we must act as such. We must not show any weaknesses to others, or emotion. We must speak properly and dress properly. We must keep our heads held high, for we are worthy of being envied._ That includes worry for anyone, especially family, or other people of high status."

"No, Neji-nii-san, I have not forgotten. But, have you forgotten she is only 13 with only one parent, who happens to have almost died and she just wants to know how he is doing?" I asked through my teeth, a fake smile of my own on my face. Neji's smile wavered and he opened his mouth to answer, but was distracted when the doors to the E.R. hallway opened and a woman in her twenties with short black hair walked agilely to the desk, then whispered something to the woman sitting there.

"Uh, Hinata, was it?" the lady behind the desk called out. I nodded, walking to the desk. Her face was filled with sorrow, and my heart beat rapidly in my chest. Neji and Hanabi were behind me in an instant. "Would you like an update on your father -Hyuga, Hiashi?- on his condition?"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Sakura_

I still didn't like him. But I was willing to be decent.

He followed me to class. Acted as if we were best friends. Bombarded me with questions. And broke through my defenses. I gave up trying to ignore him, trying to show no interest in him, and turned to the teenage boy so willing to get to know me. And maybe he would finally leave me alone if I answered him.

After a while, his questions began to bother me. Why in the world would you ask a complete stranger if they were still a virgin? And what kind of question is "How often do you look in a mirror?" Normal people ask questions like "What's your favorite color?" or "How many siblings do you have?" when you first meet them. But Naruto? No. That boy just asked the oddest questions.

"Were you ever an orphan?" he asked, continuing the relentless interrogation.

"No, I have my birth mom and dad. Seriously, though, what type of questions are these?" I scoffed. He shrugged.

"I was just seeing how much we have in common. I was an orphan," he stated, filling my chest with guilt.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I just- I mean, these aren't normal questions, are they? Are these like the initiation questions?" I asked with a fake smile. "If I answer them correctly, will she leave me the hell alone?" I grumbled, gesturing to the Yamanaka girl sitting across the room from me. He followed my gaze and smirked.

"Ino? She's bugging you? I guess she's a little territorial. She's like the Queen Bee of our school. Senior girl with a great body, cheer-leading captain, Homecoming Queen candidate. She pretty much controls this school with a flick of her wrist. But honestly, she's not that bad . . . I guess. She's nothing without her best friends, Tenten and Hinata, though. They control her, reel her in when she gets too out of hand. They're the better rulers, in my opinion," he explained, seemingly shrugging off her bitchiness with the excuse that she had friends to make up for it. What kind of excuse is that? "I think you should meet them," he concluded offhandedly.

"I already met Yamanaka. She acted like I was a three-year-old or something. When you came up to me-"

"Oh yeah, when I was hitting on you yesterday." He recalled the event with a sly smile. "But you still haven't met Tenten. Or Hinata. I think you should meet them, especially Hinata. She could probably get Ino to warm up the cold shoulder she has aimed at you. She has a certain charm on Ino. Come to think of it, she has a certain charm on everyone. . . ." I coked my head to the side as I realized his cheeks were glowing a little pink. What was he embarrassed by? Unless, he secretly liked Hinata. . . . Before I could mention it, his cheeks faded back to their normal color, only flawed by those three scars on each cheek. "You would like her."

"Sure. I would I'd probably like her as much as I like Ino," I muttered. The silence pressed on my ears as I realized that maybe I'd gone too far. But when had that ever bothered me? I had spread secrets about girls just because they liked the same guy as me. I sabotaged other volleyball teams just so we could win. I used guys just to get other guys jealous. Feeling guilty wasn't my forte. Maybe it had something to do with this boy, Uzumaki.

No. It had nothing to do with him. He was egotistical and full of himself. And he assumed I would immediately love him because he has looks. But the truth was that this boy beside me was nothing more than a tool in my way to the top.

Deciding that he wasn't going to speak to me again, I turned my attention back to my book.

Almost distantly, I could hear the classroom door open and light footsteps walk in. Apparently, this classroom seemed to attract my classmates.

"Uchiha, you're back. I see you've gotten older, too," Kurenai-sensei said. I lifted my head and lost my breath. At the front of the room was a male with onyx eyes and obsidian hair. He was standing with a deathly demeanor. His scrutinizing onyx eyes swept over the class, seemingly dissatisfied. They locked with Naruto's, then hardened, appearing to get darker, if possible. His gaze then flicked away, landing on me. I stared back, unable to remove my eyes from him, his mysterious eyes drawing me in. He showed no sign of emotion as he turned to the teacher and handed her a note.

"Sasuke . . ." Naruto growled beside me. I turned to him, trying to decipher the menace in his voice as he regarded the obviously familiar male standing at the front of the class.

"Do you know him?" I asked innocently, trying not to show any interest. He nodded curtly, his hands clenching into fists on his thighs.

"We grew up together. We use to be friends, but . . ." He took a deep breath, pausing. "He moved away 2 years ago. He's back now . . . obviously." I nodded, showing him I understood. The pale teenage boy at the front of the classroom turned and began walking down the aisle between the desks toward me. I held my breath as he passed, not even sparing a glance at Naruto or me. I was tempted to turn and watch him take his seat at the back of the classroom. But I resisted, placing my eyes on the tense blond beside me. I leaned toward him so he was close enough to hear my whispers.

"What happened between you two?" I pushed, hoping for a better answer than the last. But I was sorely disappointed when he just closed his eyes and shook his head, unwilling to answer. I wanted to persuade him some more, but the bell rang and he jumped out of his chair in a flash, hurrying out of the classroom impatiently. I, on the other hand, slowly stood up, hoping to run into Sasuke on his way out. Luck was with me as he tried to push past me to get out of the room.

"Sorry," I replied as he began muttering under his breath a string of profanities at my slowness. His response was a glare. I shivered slightly under the harshness of his stare, but collected myself in time to catch up to him at the doorway as he walked out of the classroom.

"My name is Sakura. I'm new here. I was told you lived here before, right?" I asked, putting on a mask of innocence, fluttering my eye lashes. He didn't even glance my way as he continued onto the next class. I took another stab at it. "Would you be so kind as to show me to the art room?" I inquired politely.

"Uchiha? Sasuke? In the youth!" a male voice shouted behind us. I groaned, turning to see Gai-sensei eying the pale boy walking a pace ahead of me. Sasuke slowly turned and grimaced at the sight of the green-clad sensei. I could swear I heard him mutter, "This is one of those things I wasn't looking forward to."

"Sasuke! My, you are much more mature looking than you were before you left! Two years has certainly caught up to your youthful appearance." Sasuke nodded, making to turn away from the odd sensei. But Gai-sensei was apparently in a social mood.

"I see you have met our youthful new student, Sakura. How youthful of you to offer to take her to class!" he observed, giving Sasuke a thumbs up. Sasuke looked as if he was about to retort, but I took this chance to step in.

"He's such a gentleman. I said I wasn't quite sure how to get to the art room, and he offered to show me where it is." Sasuke looked at me with spiteful eyes as Gai-sensei nodded in agreement. Sasuke and I held gazes, him trying to communicate that there was no way in hell that he would walk me to class, me daring him to say otherwise to the teacher.

"What a youthful couple you both make!" Both our heads snapped toward the odd man as my face grew hot and a sly smile worked it's way onto my face. Sasuke's jaw clenched, a vein in his temple throbbing.

"Thank you, Gai-sensei," I murmured in a daze as Sasuke began walking away and I trotted after him to catch up. As I took three steps for every one of his, I had a sense of triumph. He was forced to walk me to the art room, down the same hall Gai-sensei was standing in and watching us from.

"We obviously make a fabulous couple," I remarked when he stopped momentarily by the art room. His gaze shifted to me, and hardened into a glare.

"I only walked you to this room to avoid any trouble on my first day back. But apparently, I didn't avoid it very well. I was still stuck with you," he commented smoothly. It was the first sentence he had said clearly since he had arrived in Study Hall, and the first time I'd heard his voice. It was deep and low, more like a 25 year-old's than a senior in high school's. And it was honestly _very _seductive. My thoughts scattered and I hurried to collect them before I looked like an idiot in front of this new mysterious guy. I scowled at him, trying to cover up what was really going on in my head.

I searched my brain for any retort to his comment, but before a good one was found, he turned and strode down the obviously familiar hallway.

"Uchiha, Sasuke . . ." I whispered, feeling the heat rush to my face. I bit my bottom lip as an irrepressible smile found its way onto my lips.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Done! And for those of you who noticed, I did do some Sakura bashing. I don't like her. But _Naruto _is sort of short on female characters, and I needed someone who was MY Naruto's type, someone who would do anything for attention. And she fits the slip perfectly, in my point of view. Anyway, please, please review. Pretty please. I would be so pleased if you did. Thank you for reading another chapter!

~AnaMarie

愛と知恵


	4. Revelations

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Naruto related except for the plot. **

**Summary: We all want one person in our lives. We go through so many to get that one person. But my 'so many' hurt me. I was never the same again. But when I withdrew from everything altogether, my One Person was the only one that could help me.**

**Warning: Rated T for language, suggestive dialog, and future chapters.**

**Yay. Numero Cuatro! Let's see how this one turns out, huh? I just hope it doesn't get ugly. And this chapter is kinda like a filler, almost. Not much important stuff, I guess. Sorry it took a little longer. I was writing something else too, and, plus, all my school and crap. You know, the other minute and unimportant stuff. Well, please, enjoy!**

_Life is cruel. But sometimes we just gotta put up with it till something good comes around._

_~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~  
_

_

* * *

  
_

_Shikamaru_

As quietly as possible, I walked to the edge of the roof and jumped down, landing on my bare feet on the cold ground. I tried to keep my noise level down as I went inside to find my bed; I hadn't gotten a good enough nap on the roof. As I made my way down the hallway, I felt a pang of hunger. My mind fought between sleep and hunger, but the latter won. Turning around, I went toward the kitchen, flicking on the light as I entered. I was shocked to find I wasn't alone in the small room.

"Mom? I thought you were asleep," I whispered, grabbing a spoon from the drawer and walking up to Yoshino, who was holding the box of ice cream. Her eyes were red and puffy, obvious signs that she had been crying.

"Couldn't sleep," she whispered. Even at the low volume level of her soft voice, her words cracked mid-sentence. She dug her spoon into the hard frozen yogurt, distracting herself. I did the same, bringing a lump of the cold ice cream to my mouth.

I didn't want to bring up the subject of my sister, so I continuously dipped my spoon into the box, filling my mouth to prevent speaking. She watched me fill my mouth full, a fragile smile on her lips. I stopped mid-scoop.

"What?" I asked, accidentally spitting food ice cream onto her cheek. She shook her head and wiped it off with gentle fingers, smiling all the while.

"I'm so glad I have you, Shika," she whispered softly, almost as she had whispered bedtime stories to me as a child. My mouth hung open slightly as I tried to figure out what to say. No words came to mind. Tears began to fill Yoshino's eyes and she smiled sadly. "You would've made a wonderful older brother. She would have looked up to you and your brilliance." She shook her head again, closing the box of ice cream and handing it to me. Her perfectly manicured fingers gently swiped under her bottom eye lashes, erasing any trace of tears lingering there. I watched silently as she walked, head down, out of the kitchen. Quickly, I placed the box on the counter and followed her.

"Mom," I called quietly from behind her. She turned, and I enveloped her in a hug, something rare in our house. Immediately, she wrapped her own arms around me. "I'm glad I have you too."

"Thank you, Shika." She let go, turning to the wall of photos hanging there. "I sometimes wonder what she would have been like if she had lived, what Suki would have looked like. I always feel like she was, and is, always with me, just like you. You've always been a part of me, I just didn't meet either of you until you were born. . . .

"I wonder sometimes if she would have had such a brilliant mind like yours, or if she would have been lazy too. I wonder if she would have grown up to make a difference, or become famous." Tears filled her eyes again, but she let them fall freely. "I love her as much as I did when she was born. God just had other plans for her. And for us. He wanted us to appreciate who we have in our lives."

"She would've loved you, Mom," I whispered, looking at a particular picture on the wall, viewing the familiar picture of a brown-eyed baby girl with a tuft of brunette hair on her head, taken immediately after her birth, right before God took her away from us.

"And you, Shikamaru. I know she does."

~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~

My rhythmic footsteps made me doze off while walking, my heartbeat booming in my ears in the silence. My mind was blank, just what I'd hoped for, the whole reason for my little walk. My eyes were immediately consumed by the sky, devouring every inch of the white puffiness. My imagination seemed to catch the best of me as the white puffiness began to fall from the sky, and the first thought that came to mind was, "The sky is falling." Then it occurred to me that it was the beginning of winter and it was snowing, the first snow that winter. I laughed quietly at my naivety, wondering how I'd managed to capture the title of 'Valedictorian' for all those years. Moments of callowness always seemed to catch me off guard, to prove not all of me thought things through. But it showed I was just a person. I wasn't perfect. No one was.

I rounded the corner of the building I was walking beside and spotted someone familiar. But I wasn't expecting what I saw. Standing halfway down an alleyway was a familiar blond female who I'd grown up with. I eyed her outfit, sleeveless belly shirt and short slit skirt, thinking how idiotic she was to wear it in the beginning of winter, especially during the first snow.

Ino was standing in a tense position, as if hiding something. And that something was a little stick emitting smoke.

"Ino?" I called. She immediately placed her hand behind her back, failing to block the smoke trailing up to the sky. Her eyes looked frightened and she seemed alone, so I made my way slowly to my friend. "What are you doing?" I asked raising an eyebrow to emphasize my curiosity. She bit her bottom lip and backed up a little.

"N-nothing. You should go home, Shikamaru. You're mom is probably waiting for you, and you know how she gets when you're late," she said, changing the subject. I shook my head.

"Mom and Dad are asleep. What are you doing?" I asked again. She lowered her head, unresponsive. "Ino, tell me." She shook her head. "Please."

Her head lifted up and she had an obviously fake smile plastered on her face. "I'm waiting for all my gangster friends to come meet me here. Does it matter?" she asked.

"Are you smoking?" I asked, not bothering to beat around the bush. Her smile faltered, but she didn't back down.

"No. You know how I feel about smoking," she responded with a smile. I rolled my eyes and walked up to her so I was only inches away.

"Breath on me," I demanded. She bit her lip and shook her head, making it obvious. I grabbed the upper part of her arm that was hidden behind her back and pulled on it. She tried to resist, but gave in, sighing and blowing the smell of smoke in my face. I coughed and pulled her arm in from of me, revealing the tobacco stick. She looked up at me helplessly, her eyes looked so lost.

"I hate it. But I can't stop now. It's a habit. Shikamaru, I don't want to, but . . ." she whispered. I watched, waiting for her to continue, as snowflakes caught in her hair and on her eyelashes, little white spots barely visible in the blond curtain."Please, Shikamaru. Please don't tell."

"Quit smoking then." My suggestion was easier said than done, and I knew this. But for some odd reason, a big part of me really wanted her to just put down the cigarette and never touch one again.

"I tried, Shikamaru. It's just too hard." She shook her head. "It's like . . . napping for you. For some reason smoking relieves me, makes me calm. I have to. Just like you seem to constantly want to nap," she explained with a small smile.

I couldn't explain what happened next. Maybe it was because she was my oldest and closest friend. But I really didn't want her to have to go through it alone. I grabbed her hand and gently pried the cigarette from her fingers. She seemed to blush as I watched her expression closely, seeing if she would resist. Irrationally, I lifted my hand and placed the cigarette between my lips. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened wordlessly. I inhaled, couching and spluttering as the smoke burned my throat and lungs, and immediately let out the smoke, my eyes watering.

"Shikamaru-" she began. I placed a finger on her lips and she frowned, reaching up and grabbing my hand away from her mouth. "What the hell are you thinking?" she demanded. I closed me eyes and thought that through.

"Let me think first," I begged. I could sense her place her hands on her hips, releasing me hand from hers. When I opened my eyes, I realized how close we were. I swallowed. "If you can't quit, than I'm gonna start." She tried to object, but I interrupted to explain. "And we can quite together."

Her face fell and then grew angry. I watched as her face flickered between every emotion- anger, gratefulness, adoration, helplessness, and then anger again- and then stayed on anger. I held my breath, removing the tobacco stick from my mouth, and waited for her response.

"Me smoking is one thing, but you smoking is a totally different thing. Especially if you're smoking because of me. No way am I gonna let you do this," she stated. I lifted my gaze to the sky, watching more and more snowflakes fall, coming in greater numbers.

"I'm not gonna let you- or me- die because of a stupid mistake," I said. "So you are going to stop smoking. With me."

The breath was knocked out of me as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I dropped the cigarette behind her and placed my hands awkwardly on her back. She began to cry quietly into my shoulder.

"You're such an idiot," she whispered, her voice muffled by my jacket. "Thank you."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Neji_

I never liked Soap Operas. Hinata always loved them, as did Hanabi. But when they always came onto the television, I would get up and help around the house, cleaning, cooking, do laundry. Also things I hated, yet would rather do than watch any Soap Operas.

Never did I expect my life to turn into one.

I sat silently in the corner, watching as my cousins lamented. My internal instinct was to leave, get away, go home and help with whatever Kajina needed. Of course, she was on her way to hospital, so I would be home alone. That wasn't the best idea at a moment like this.

I eyed my cousins, watching them with disdain. How could they behave in such a way to something of such unimportance? Hiashi would be outraged if he could see them at that moment.

I felt a twinge of something unrecognizable to me, something in my chest, heavy on my heart, as I watched my cousins' eyes fill with tears. I momentarily recognized the feeling of guilt that filled my chest, weighing down on my every thought.

My eyes shifted to the unconscious and unaware elder man laying on the bed. He might have been angry about this if he had been awake, but he was not anywhere near consciousness. So my cousins could feel sorrowful in peace. I should not disrupt something that had nothing to do with me. I took my leave, letting my cousins watch over my unconscious uncle's body.

"Neji-" someone gasped, nearing me with light footsteps. I turned in time to catch my mother envelope me in a hug, stifling my breathing.

"Mom-" I gasped, suffocated by my mother's worry. She released me, grabbing my hand like a five year old and dragging me to Hiashi's room. "Kajina, I am not comfortable intruding on them right now. They almost lost their father, I prefer to let them lament in peace-" I began to object. Kajina was ignoring me, peeking her head into the room to view her brother-in-law.

"Is he okay?" she whispered to me. I nodded.

"He has not awoken yet, though. They said they are not sure he will wake up anytime soon. Tsunade-sama said she is afraid he is in a coma. I am just relieved he was not killed, though." Kajina turned to me.

"A coma? But . . . how hard did he hit his head?" she whispered shakily. I inhaled, relaxing my jaw that had set tight. My knee-jerk reaction to emotion.

"He received a fierce blow. The truck was much larger than his car, and was going over 75 miles per hour. Luckily, it did not hit his side of the car directly, and he did not receive the full impact," I explained to my awaiting mother. The death grip she had clutched on my arm loosened some, and I could feel the sensation of a thousand needles stabbing all over my arm as the blood rushed to my fingers.

"Mom," I whispered curtly. Her head snapped to me, her face unreadable, full of emotions I could never feel. "What . . . what does it feel like, guilt?" I whispered almost inaudibly. I had hoped she had not heard me, but my luck was out. I felt a rush of embarrassment as her face softened to understanding. Even though she had been raised a Hyuga, forced to marry at the young age of 16 to her second cousin, she had not bothered to hide emotion like a real Hyuag once she had reached adulthood. She had given up on Hyuga ways, not bothering to please her father. After my father, Hizashi, had been killed while replacing Hiashi on a business trip when the plane he had been on had crashed, Uncle Hiashi had all but claimed me as his own son. I had taken to living with my cousins and uncle, behaving in the Hyuga ways Hiashi had set so strictly on the house. Kajini had never quite found Hiashi's ways fair and just, but found Hiashi replacing my father for me a profitable thing.

"Guilt. It is almost like a huge weight on you conscience, something that affects everything you think and do. It reminds me of shackles, almost. They prevent you from doing things freely. So does guilt," she explained with a thoughtful expression. Her soft hand rested on my cheek, reminding me that she would always be my mother. "It must be hard for you, too, Neji-kun. He is almost a father to you."

"Emotions. They do not come easily to me. I learned not to let emotions control your life, to not make your decisions personal. But no one person can block any emotions completely. No one can prevent everything from hitting you unexpectedly. Even I slip. . . ."

"Neji-kun, I am so sorry. I know maybe your childhood was harsh, and maybe I was not always there for you. But I love you. And I would not trade anything for you." I looked away, feeling the heat rush to my face, so contradicting to her winter cooled touch.

"Love. Yet another thing that I, even at 19, do not fully understand." I clasped her hand in mine, putting light pressure on it, then released it. It fell slowly to her side, like the pendulum of a grandfather clock.

"Love. Neji, I do not believe anyone fully understands it."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Naruto_

Sometimes I thought of myself as a scientist, conducting experiments. 'The Human Girl' was my study. I watched them closely, observing from afar and close up. They were my occupation. I learned much about them from doing all I had done. And I was sure there was much more I could learn.

One girl I studied in particular was Hyuga, Hinata. She was so different from all the other girls in the jungle we call high school. She seemed to catch my attention more than any other girl. Maybe it was because she was one of the small amount of girls that I hadn't conducted one of my 'experiments' on. I couldn't bring myself to do it, anyway. I couldn't even bring myself to flirt with her.

Another obstacle in my way to Hinata was Kiba. He'd had an absolute infatuation with Hinata since 6th grade, and didn't take any precautions to hide it. Out of every girl in the school, he was saving himself for the one I truly liked, making it difficult for me to like Hinata without a guilty conscience. I hadn't saved myself for her like he had. I hadn't ever thought she would save herself for me, though. I never had any thought that she would like me like I like her. So I never waited. I had thrown myself at the first girl that had offered herself. After that, they all flung themselves at me. Even Sakura was beginning to do it.

At the moment, I was studying Sakura closely like any good scientist. As we sat in math, I was noticing little things about her, unable to concentrate on math. But everything I noticed about Sakura, I connected with Hinata somehow. She was on my mind.

Just the way Sakura's hips were a little wider than average, just like Hinata's. The way that made the slope of their waists more noticeable, more voluptuous. The ways Sakura's lips were slightly thinner than normal, unlike Hinata's, which were so full. The way Sakura blinked repeatedly in a flirtatious way, while Hinata did it out of nerves. The way Sakura's eyes were full of life, full of party, but Hinata's were full of past, full of wisdom. The way Sakura rolled her eyes teasingly whenever she saw me, but Hinata always bit her bottom lip and went quiet.

Why was everything on my mind somehow connected to Hinata? Why was I falling again, just like I had in 2nd grade, for this girl who never liked me? So many other girls would give their left hand- no, their _right _hand- to spend one night with me. Why was this girl so captivating to me? Maybe it was because she presented a challenge to me, trying to change her to like me. Or maybe she presented somewhat of a mystery to me, someone with a broken past and a foggy future. Just like those annoying tootsie pop commercials: How many questions does it take to get to the center of Hinata? The world may never know.

_~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~_

"You're never satisfied," a voice like a whip hit me, shaking me from every day dream I was having.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I snapped, looking over the brunette girl in front of me. She wasn't one I had slept with. At least not sober.

"When do you ever stop?" she sighed, her body language showing she was extremely uncomfortable. I stared at Tenten, completely and utterly lost.

"Once again, what the hell are you talking about?" I asked. She raised an eyebrow.

"You being an idiot. Anyway, why can't you just leave Hinata alone?" Tenten asked, a razor sharp edge to her voice.

"I didn't do anything. What the hell are you talking about?" I asked again, gaining impatience. Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Naruto, please don't play stupid. I'm serious. Hinata isn't just a toy." Obviously, she had meant for it to come across as harsh, but it had come out more as pathetic.

"I never said she was a toy- Okay, seriously, what the hell are you talking about?" I protested. What was I missing?

"You need Hinata to fall for you even though you've laid every other girl in the school, and multiple girls from various other schools. Can't you just leave Hinata alone?" She accused me bluntly, glaring daggers.

"I didn't do anything. I never tried to get Hinata to fall for me," I objected, heat rising to my face as I tried to lie and remain calm.

"Is that so? Why are you always so happy when you're around her, so boisterous? Why are you so willing to talk when even her name is mentioned in a sentence? Why do you always hint at you two doing something _alone _together? Why can't you just be happy that she's your friend?" she ranted, her nerves disappearing in this admittance.

"Where the hell are you getting these assumptions?" I snapped. "I don't do any of that. I _am _happy that she's just my friend, and I am fine with it staying that way."

"Really? So you don't ever have thoughts about doing inappropriate things to her?" she asked venomously. "You don't ever have serious thoughts about doing to her what you do to all the other pathetic girls that fell for you?"

"I don't see Hinata throwing false accusations at me!" I said, pointing out the obvious. She opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out. "Has _she _ever said I make her uncomfortable? Does _she _ever say that she wishes I would back off?"

Tenten recovered herself, slowly moving closer in an intimidating way. "Hinata is a shy girl. She can't say 'no' Naruto. Don't ever, _ever_ try to get her to do something she doesn't want to," she whispered sharply, only inches from my face. "I'm not the only one that would kill you if you did."

"I would appreciate it if you would go stick your nose in someone else's business, Yamanaka," I replied simply with a smirk, giving the impression that I thought her accusations were silly. I watched calmly as she stalked off, obviously knowing she wasn't getting through to me. As soon as she left, I began to panic.

How had I let myself get so caught up in Hinata that I hadn't set up the right defenses? I had to rebuild them as well as maybe stay away from Hinata for a while now.

In the words of Shikamaru, how troublesome. . . .

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Hanabi_

Sometimes book smarts are not enough. When emotions rule and brilliance can do nothing to stop them, you have to let intelligence slip.

I was not like Neji, always able to control myself and keep a calm and collected facade. I could not pretend I did not care, could not pretend the only thing that mattered to me was appearance. I could not have care less about being prim and proper, and I am sure Hinata agreed with me. We were not true Hyugas in my eyes, we were normal teenage girls. Well, as normal as a model and her genius younger sister could be.

Sometimes being a genius was hard. Being 13 and a freshman in highschool can get to you. People pick on you and think of you as a freak, or keep their distance as if they could catch my nerdiness. Skipping a grade and still being the most advanced student in your grade is a rare thing, but Father refused to let me skip another grade, even though I would have fit in nicely in the academics of being a sophomore. Sometimes, I wish I could be an average 13 year old without a care in the world.

Our family was full of stress. For Hinata, it was her job. Being a model at 17 and being photogenic did not mix. And with the side order of Father's constant "I do not approve of you being a model" attitude, pressure was on. Hinata could not say no to save her life, though. Whenever her manager signed her up for another shoot, she could not find the heart to tell him she hated her job. And when she was not modeling, she was being fought over by most of the guys in her grade who only saw her as a hot model, nothing more.

Some nights, when I could not sleep, I would leave my room to go sit in the living room in front of the fireplace, admiring the pictures on the mantle. When I would pass Hinata's room on my way there, I would sometimes hear her soft sobs. Hinata always held her composure in company, but I could not imagine the terrors that haunted her in solitary.

I knew that neither of us ever got sleep on those nights.

In addition to Hinata's stress and my stress, there was my Father's stress. The executive of his Travel Agency, he always had late nights and would be gone for days at a time, never knowing the days he would be home. Then, after the conversation we had about Mom only nights before the accident, he had taken to drinking till 2 a.m. when the local bars closed. On his days off, he never came home, constantly at the bars. Then the morning of his accident, he began a shouting match with me before I left for school.

~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~

_I reached into the fridge, pulling an orange out with my hand. I grabbed a knife and sliced the peel, picking at the edge of the cut with my nails. As I peeled the orange, the door to the kitchen slid open and I spotted my father, leaning against the doorframe. Every few seconds he would hiccup, a loud, obnoxious and annoying sound. He was obviously not sober. I tried to ignore him, awaiting Hinata to come downstairs and take me to school. It took a few minutes before he even noticed I was standing there._

"_Hanabi," he rumbled, stumbling forward and grabbing the edge of the table, almost knocking it over. I remained silent, ignoring the ignorant man. "Hanabi? Whiare- *hiccup*_ _-youstilleere?" he slurred, trying to ask me why I was still there._ _I bit my tongue in order to stop myself from retorting to his stupid question._ _"Whiare yousti- *hiccup* -lleere?" he repeated, coming closer with his head half down._ _I could see the dark circles under his eyes._

"_I am waiting for Hinata to get down here so I can go to school, Father," I replied slowly, not looking at him. I picked at my orange some more, getting every little piece of skin off._

"_Ah, Hin- *hiccup* -ata. The back talking one," he said, trudging to the fridge. I shut my mouth, not willing to set him off. He reached into the fridge, pulling out a new bottle of beer._ _He opened it and took a long, hard swig._ _I watched in disgust, twirling my orange around in my hand. "Dammit, we're out of beer. . . ." he muttered, examining the fridge. Honestly, I watched in shock, for the first time ever hearing him say a contraction. He always use to tell me that every word was important and should not be shoved into another word. He called contractions 'the lazy person's words'._

_He realized I was watching him and snickered._ _"What are you looking at?" he asked, bending in half. I was afraid he would hurl right on the floor in front of me, so I turned and got up, heading toward the door._ _"Where are you- *hiccup* -going?" he demanded, standing up straight._

"_Leaving wherever you are," I said without thinking. His face fell blank, then contorted in rage._

"_What did you say?" he asked menacingly. I rolled my eyes._

"_Nothing." I turned again, ready to leave, when his iron grip caught my arm. I looked up into his furious eyes, afraid for a second that he would hit me._

"_You're as bad as Hina- *hiccup* -ta," he whispered, leaning in close. I leaned back as far as his grip would allow._

"_Let go," I commanded, attempting to pull my arm away, but his fingers tightened around my flesh, pinching me where his fingertips met. "Let go," I asked, more desperately._

"_You think it's so easy to be a single father, well you're- *hiccup* -wrong. You two are out of control, bad behaved young- *hiccup* -women. You need to see that- *hiccup* -it's more difficult than you think watching you two-"_

"_You never watch us. You are always working. And now, whenever you are not working, you are drinking. You do not care about us-" I stated._

"_You don't care about me! Neither of you do!" he exclaimed, squeezing my arm. I winced._

"_You are our father; you should care about us! But you do not! You are a selfish man who does not know how to have fun. You are just a selfish man," I repeated, yanking my arm free and running out the door to Hinata's car. Father did not follow. _

~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~

I watched Hinata rub Father's face with a damp washcloth, tears streaming down her face silently. She then reached up and centered his pillow under his head, then pulled the blanket closer to his chin. I watched silently, admiring my sister. She hand been so furious with Father just a few days previous, but now acted as if she had never had any ill feelings toward him what-so-ever. I was jealous; I could not forget what had happened between Father and me yesterday morning, which stopped me from feeling completely bad for Father. I wish I could just let it go.

The door opened and my aunt walked in, soon followed by her son. Her smile was obviously fake, and she was straining to keep it intact. In a gesture of comfort, I stood up and gave her a hug, trying to convey all my words of comfort in that one simple gesture.

"I do not need the hug as you do, Hanabi," she whispered, hugging me back. Her arms were the only thing holding me together at that moment, and I broke down in tears against the front of her shoulder. Indifferent to the people watching me break down, I sunk even further into the sadness that lay before me. The tiny fracture of sadness had deepened in a dark abys, too deep for me to see the bottom. All the emotions I had never shown because of Father's strict rules came flooding out. I am sure my family thought I was going crazy as they watched me go from tears, to half-sobs, half-laughs, to angry growling, back to terrified tears. Kajina let me ruin her shirt, stroking the back of my head and never letting go. At that moment, for the first time ever, I really felt like I had a mom. I knew exactly what Neji felt like with my father.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Hinata_

The house was as silent and empty as it had been 13 years previous, even when the newborn Hanabi had filled the house with her wails. The 13 year-old Hanabi followed behind me, our hands entertwined, as I flipped on a few light switches on my way to our rooms. Neji's footsteps were unheard, but I knew he was right behind us. The sober mood filling the Hyuga household was pressing down on all three of us, almost making it difficult to breath. I winced as Neji's voice cut through the tense air like a sword, causing Hanabi and me to jump a foot off the ground.

"I will reside in the guest room for the night. Kajina will call if he wakes up over night, but it is highly doubted that he will. You both should get some rest; it has been a very long day." Hanabi and I stopped, stepping aside as Neji opened the door next to us, the door to the guest room. It had not been used since Neji had last stayed with us almost 4 years previous. I nodded to my cousin, wishing him a good night's sleep, and led the way to my room, leaving a trail of lights behind us.I reached my room and gave Hanabi a hug.

"It will be alright. He will wake up, and we will get him some help," I whispered in her ear. She nodded silently, letting go. As she turned to her room, I could see the shine of the streams of tears striping her face. Sympathy washed over me, for, unlike me, she had never been this deep in the secrets and terrors of the Hyugas in her short 13 years on this world. At that moment, I felt more like her mother than I ever had.

When I entered my room, I made a beeline to my cell phone on my desk, where I had forgotten it that morning. Pressing the center button, I was greeted by a_ ding _and a message that told me I had 4 missed calls that afternoon. I pressed 'view now' and found that all 4 calls had been from Tenten strategically throughout the day. Glancing at the time, I decided to wait until morning to call her back. She probably was not that worried about me.

I turned to my bed, too exhausted to strip and get into appropriate bed clothes. Crawling languidly onto the bed, I rested my head on the firm pillow, sighing in relief at the alleviation of the weight of my body. My eye lids were overly-heavy, as if willing to sink into my cheekbones, and it took every fiber of my being to keep them open. Having no reason to decline them what they wished, I closed my eyes, sleep deprivation gnawing at them.

Images immediately filling my thoughts, dancing around out of my reach, making me unable to grasp and focus on them. Then, one haunting image flashed before my closed eyes.

The sunken cheeks, the pale lips, the closed, bruise colored eye lids, the brunette hair splayed over his head like a halo, was the lifeless form of my father.

I heard more than felt my sharp intake of breath as I sat up, my head spinning at my sudden movement. My eyes flashed to my night stand, but, in the dark, I could not make anything out. My fingers groped aimlessly around on the night stand, hoping to grasp the object of my desire. They locked on something cool and smooth, and I caught it in my hand, pulling it into my lap. In the glow of my alarm clock, I could see the outline of a picture frame, barely making out three familiar faces in the frame. My fingers traced the most familiar one, the better version of the nightmare-ish vision I had had just moments before. The cliché 'it was just a dream' ran through my head, and I restored the frame to it's original place.

I was sure I would not get to sleep without nightmares of my father's condition, so I did something I normally did not tolerate. In my want for nightmare-less dreams, I took a dose of cold-recovering medicine, the kind that knocked you out cold for 8 dreamless hours. Returning to my bedroom, I wondered how long it would take for the medicine to kick in. I did not have any trouble getting to sleep, even before the medicine got to me. I appreciated having a peaceful sleep, though.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

_Ino_

Why had I agreed to it? It was my stupid mistake and now he was suffering because of it.

I had just finished getting ready for school when a familiar car pulled into the driveway where my dad usually parked beside the flower shop. Grabbing the bag and slinging the strap over my shoulder, I opened the door and stepped outside, the sight that greeted me twisted my insides.

Shikamaru had come to pick me up, something he did occasionally when he was extremely early in the mornings. I watched him climb out, a cigarette dangling between his lips, and growled to myself. In the back of my mind was a tingling, and it was annoying me to no end. It had been bothering me all morning, but the sight of Shikamaru with the cigarette had increased it tenfold.

"What are you doing?" I asked, a little testily. He shrugged.

"I was early, so I though I'd-" he began, misunderstanding me.

"I meant the cigarette," I interrupted, my mood seemingly going downhill.

'_What is with me this morning?'_

"I already told you. As long as you smoke, I smoke," he declared. His tone reminded me of an overprotective mother, being possessive of her only child. I scowled at the comparison.

"I haven't had a cigarette since last night when you . . ." I trailed off, getting more awkward by the second. "So you shouldn't either."

"That's not what I agreed to. Once I know you have no interest in cigarettes what-so-ever, and you stop smoking for forever, I will quit. But until then. . . ." He removed the cigarette from his mouth, blowing a puff of smoke into the cold winter air. "You're in control."

"You said we'd quit together. As in, when I stop, you stop," I argued. He shook his head.

"We _are_ quitting together. I'm just drawing my end of this out, to make sure you keep up your end of the deal." Shikamaru formed a perfect 'O' with his lips, blowing out another cloud of smoke. The tingling in the back of my head increased to an itch, causing my attitude to take another downward slope.

"Shikamaru, I am _not _in any mood to play games. Now stop with the smoke," I whispered sharply. He frowned.

"Have you given up smoking for good?" he asked monotonously. I nodded.

"Yeah, whatever, just stop it," I demanded as I walked to the passenger's side door. I opened it with more force than necessary, swinging into the car and slamming the door shut. Shikamaru did the same, except a lot less furiously. His lazy-ass movements aggravated me for no apparent reason. I wished him to be a lot faster, but of course, I didn't know how to hypnotize anyone. What confused me was that I was use to his carefree, slow actions, and I actually admired him for it the majority of the time. But now it did nothing but frustrate me. "Shikamaru," I growled. He turned his head lazily, his eyes full of a dare I couldn't comprehend. He ran a hand over his short ponytail with one hand, taking his cigarette out of mouth and dropping it out the window onto the driveway with his other hand. I bit my tongue from retorting to his intentionally annoying, intimidating movements. I ran my fingers through my side-sweep bangs, moving them out of my face, in addition to blowing them up like a pissed off child.

We reached the school with a prolonged silence. I fidgeted uncomfortably, wondering why in the world my attitude was so terrible. Maybe I hadn't gotten enough sleep. Taking a deep breath, I began to atone for being bitch to my best friend.

"Shika, I'm sorry. I don't know why I was so rude this morning. Thanks for picking me up anyway," I said as we pulled into the school parking lot.

"It's the addiction," he said offhandedly. I stared at him in confusion.

"What?" I asked like a dumbstruck child.

"You're already addicted to the cigarettes. How often do you usually smoke them?" he asked, remaining in his seat.

"I _used to _have like maybe 3 or 4 a day," I admitted sheepishly. In a hurried movement, he shot his arm out in front of me, opening the glove compartment. He dug around for a few seconds before finding what he had been searching for and slamming the glove compartment door shut. I heard a popping sound and suddenly he pressed something hard and tiny into my palm. I looked at his hands and saw a pack of gum with the tin foil on the back, a hole in it where he'd popped a piece out. In my hand was a little rectangle of gum.

"How is _gum _suppose to help me?" I asked, irritated. He sighed.

"How troublesome. . . . It's nicotine gum. To help wean you off the cigarettes. If you _have _completely stopped smoking-" he began to explain.

"Which I have," I interrupted.

He continued as if I hadn't said anything. "It won't sedate you as much as the cigarettes, but it will help with your attitude," he finished, eying me closely. I blinked rapidly, observing the tiny piece of gum that would help me quit a nasty habit.

"Do you think I could get away with chewing them during class?" I asked, popping the gum into my mouth. He shrugged, undoing his seat belt and opening his door finally. I did the same, grabbing my bag and swinging my legs out. His door slammed shut and he began to walk away as I straightened my skirt and shirt. I watched his back retreat, and a sudden flutter of gratitude washed through me. I smiled despite my sour attitude, absolutely thrilled to have a friend like him.

~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~

Hinata had never missed a day of school in her life. Never. The day in second grade when she fell off the merry-go-round (ironically, her first and last time on it) and began bleeding profusely from her knees, she had refused to miss the rest of the school day, even when she had been offered.

When I walked into the school and spotted the rarity of Tenten sitting alone at the bottom of the first flight of steps, I was at first only curious. Maybe she had gone with Kiba somewhere. Or maybe Naruto had whisked her away to go help him with his last minute homework.

When I walked up to Tenten and asked her where Hinata was, she informed me that she wasn't there. Then I began to get worried. She was never gone.

When I asked her _why _Hinata was there, her response had sent me shock of panic through my body.

"She called my this morning. Her father got into a car accident yesterday and hasn't woken up yet. She's not gonna be back for a while. Neither is . . . Neji," she stated, her pause only attracting my attention for a second. My focus was then shifted back to Hinata. I knew she was a strong girl, but, knowing her past, I had a feeling she would need me soon.

"Maybe we should go visit her tonight," I offered. Tenten stood up swiftly without warning, startling me.

"Let's go now," she offered. I stared at her for a few seconds before I realized she was serious.

"Now?" I asked childishly.

"Yes, now!" she exclaimed, grabbing my hand and dragging me back to the school exit. Under her breath, I could hear her mutter to me, "Play it cool, don't act all jumpy. Jeeze, it's like you've never skipped school before."

"That's because I haven't!" I hissed. She rolled her eyes.

In a flash, we were in her car, listening to the distant and muffled sound of the first bell, starting the school day for all the other _good _students, as she started the engine. Before we rounded the corner of the school in her small car, I could swear I saw Kurenai watching us through her 2nd floor classroom window, her eyes wide and her face angry.

'_We're in for a wild ride today.'_

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

* * *

**Okay, so, like I said, it's kinda like a filler. But the little ShikaIno moment at the beginning was important, cuz now the blondie's got Shika hooked! Oh, snap! And the gum, _that's _important too. If you've ever been addicted to a substance (a certain gum, caffeine, a food, i.e.), you have a sensation that you need it. That is what the tingling in the back of Ino's head was. And finally, the good girls gone bad at the end, yep, that's important too.**

**Woot Woot! Over 8,000 words, beating my 7,000 last chapter! Can I keep it up, or will I fail miserably? Hmmm, a challenge! Bring it _on!_  
**

**Thanks for being my loyal reader guys (the total of like _3 _of you)! Kudos to you! And especially those of you who REVIEW! Yeah, I'm looking at you who DON'T. Please do review, because if you like it, I would LOVE to know. If you hate it, tell me what I'm doing wrong! I would really really really really appreciate it. Thank you!!**

**~AnaMarie**

**愛と知恵**


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